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E Update on Post Office Delivery CITY OF CHANHASSEN 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952227.1100 Fax 952227.1110 Building Inspections Phone 952227.1180 Fax: 952227.1190 Engineering Phone 952227.1160 Fax 952227.1170 Finance Phone 952227.1140 Fax 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Phone 952.227.1120 Fax 952227.1110 Recreation Center 2310 Coulter Boulevard Phone: 952.227.1400 Fax 952227.1404 Planning & Natural Resources Phone 952227.1130 Fax 952227.1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone 952227.1300 Fax: 952227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952227.1125 Fax 952227.1110 Web Site WNW. ci .chanhassen. mn. us E - MEMORANDUM TO: Todd Gerhardt, City Manager FROM: Justin Miller, Assistant City Managery^- October 3, 2005 ~ DATE: RE: Postal Delivery Update BACKGROUND Earlier this year, staff presented information to the city council regarding postal delivery issues in the City of Chanhassen. This report serves as an update on these issues since our last meeting. Downtown Delivery In discussions with the local postmaster and the Chamber of Commerce, the post office has agreed to deliver mail to cluster box units for downtown businesses. This will allow businesses to have a physical address (such as 123 Market Blvd., Suite ABC) or maintain their post office box. Staff also determined, in consultation with the post office, that free boxes are supposed to be provided to downtown businesses. However, only small boxes are provided for free, and if a business wants a larger box, they must pay the rental fee. After meeting with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Representative John Kline also pressed the issue post office officials in Washington, D.C. Attached to this letter is a response from the Government Relations manager of the United States Post Office explaining why door-to-door delivery is not an option in downtown Chanhassen. Also attached is a copy of a Chanhassen Villager article which quotes Rep. Kline's reaction to this letter. Zip Code Deliverv Issues Another issue discussed has been the return of mail with mismatched city and zip code information. As discussed earlier, the mail sorting process has become more and more automated, and much of the mail destined for Chanhassen is actually sorted in Minneapolis. Mail that has mismatched cities and zip codes is often returned as undeliverable even before it arrives at the Chanhassen branch. Unfortunately, according to the post office there is not an easy solution to this problem. Their software cannot simply be adjusted to allow for incorrect zip codes and cities. However, one way to look at the issue is as if Chanhassen were a larger city, such as Minneapolis. In larger cities, there are numerous zip codes for same-city addresses. If a person were to mail a letter to a Minneapolis address and put the wrong zip code, it would most likely be returned even if it had the correct city. Likewise, if a Chanhassen resident technically has an Excelsior address, a letter addressed to Chanhassen, 55331 would be delivered. It is the zip code-street relationship that determines what it deliverable, not the zip code-city relationship. The City of Chanhassen · A growing community with clean lakes, quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks A great place to live, work, and play. GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ~ UNITED STA,TES POSTJJL SERVICE August 18,2005 The Honorable John Kline House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515-2306 Dear Congressman Kline: ~ - This responds to your July 18 letter to Postmaster General John E. Potter on behalf of local business customers in Chanhassen, regarding mail delivery service. Thank you for your continued interest in this matter. As you know, Ms. Annie Kennedy of my staff and Ms. Cathy Perron, Operations Specialist, Rural Delivery, met with Colin Haley of your staff on May 26 to discuss the options available for mail delivery to the downtown businesses in Chanhassen. Specifically, they explained that the Postal Service provides delivery to the community of Chanhassen through rural delivery service. Residents and businesses located within one-quarter mile of the Post Office may erect a box on the line of travel of a carrier, if available, and receive delivery service. Otherwise these customers receive delivery through no fee Post Office Box service. Consequently, we cannot grant the request to provide delivery directly to the door of these individual businesses, which are located within one-quarter mile of the Chanhassen Post Office. In cases such as this, where carrier delivery is not available, customers are entitled to no fee Post Office Box or general delivery service, which the Chanhassen customers have been receiving for many years. However, in an effort to accommodate their request to the greatest extent possible, the Postal Service has offered to provide these businesses with mail delivery to cluster box units; which will eliminate the need for them to make a daily trip to the Post Office to retrieve mail. The cluster box units, which would be installed as determined by the Postmaster as close as possible to the current line of travel, feature separate, key-locked mailbox compartments for each business. They also include parcel lockers that would allow for the delivery of larger items. Furthermore, for items requiring a signature or which are too large to fit into the unit, the carrier will provide delivery directly to the business. A list of vendors for cluster box units is attached along with the requirements for securing the units. All cost will be incurred by the City of Chanhassen or the individual customer. If the businesses are interested in pursuing this offer, they should contact Postmaster Douglas Lingen at (952) 974-5297. It is important to realize, however, that if this offer is accepted and centralized delivery is subsequently provided, the businesses will no longer be entitled to receive no fee Post Office Box service. They may retain their current Post Office Boxes if they wish, but they will be subject to the established fees. In addition, if this mode of delivery is extended to these businesses, the customers will be responsible for ensuring that their mail is properly addressed and correspondents are- notified accordingly. The local Post Office will assist these businesses with this transition. In closing, I would like to attempt to dispel a misconception about the term "rural delivery service" that occasionally arises. Please know that there are many sizable communities, like Chanhassen, that receive rural delivery service. The type of delivery service provided, to a great 475 L'ENFANT PlAZA SW WASHINGTON DC 20260-3500 WWW.USPS.COM extent, results from the way the area developed. The Postal Service institutes the type of delivery that is most efficient and effective for specific areas. I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in other postal matters. Sincerely, (signed) Sheila T. Meyers Manager, Government Relations Enclosure ',.,..:...., M .1 ..d;........;?.....':tlii~~t...!.i;,.....,.".,. , · ',' .a1' ..'etvery '.' to rema4D " uncl13lt8edi Postmastet..Generql: ~;(Jni,ce wpn't'grantcityd~liv.~~ini,Chan BrP~vid Jan~~~'\L; S;rrJ:~~~~;>f'i'i~~{+I\;." .... . , Mairde1ive~fir,.Cbatihas~en. for. no~ will remamunchahged:' , '. .'. ".... ....... . AJ~ttersentfrqrnthe;PO$tnl~t~~;Gen" el"aJ.~sOt;fJ.Be.to J]:S::RePi..Johh.l{Jjne'.l>..office recriirilllendedagainstdoordellvery to Ch<it1lla$senbusin~$ with.. .. er mil.e;Of~:,tli ':il?l:J~ti~" " . ng . gras$ trol.'tt' . . Iii: ,"', Charit ' merriberJ'lfu.H visite(lth~~~VilOC~ pgblican:$WaShiIi' ....... .... ','D.C:(jfftde;~it~:a:,pe' "f.;d .' ti~m;frOl1lS~~llB~s'~jJ{:'i busiiqess: owners 'a~k:;\':; ~~~p::~hange the cityiS'': "rg:r~qelivery"desig- . natiQ;ll;Whichdo,esn't proVide door deUveryto .,. 'addresses, within a quar- Rep. Jo~n t~rnii1e. . . . . ~lJne . ',Kline thel1wrote a letter to 'oehet;il.~()hnE.Potter in Juli' officetQ look intochangi1igth~de to ~'Citydelivenr." . . ..' ...... ~otter:.s office respond~~:,~t~, in by mail , ., ''''i';f',,''\;' :;"" :) A~C(jrdiP.:g,~o~e'~ett~n 3.5~i~~m'~g;,' ". tl1~lineofa;:a~~ officebQi ". 9,f(i~ji',' . .......... .' ~ilu~str .. .' '. '. ".' " ...... 'j~l'Y diiectly ". ...e qoor.oftheSeifi<ij'\l-itll,flll bu$wesses. wl'lic;h ~lQ<;~~~cl\V~~,(I~~~arter mileo( the Qha11hassenPost QtIi.ce/' the Jetter said, '''I w.as. s,orrytoget.tl1at.:--tJ:)a.tJetter," ,:KUite said;~'lwashopmgto'gdWith adi- >~,,/~,.qe1iveprseMce.: . . ..... .' ....... .' ,)y">"MyaVcerlqeS for djrect help ~;as I see ',.'.;We.m; teltlpprarilY.Qlosed/' .;~:3,> /':>,;::f\lthiS;point.1\1iri~$aiqhew. "9Il~t be ',"'~J?ie:!owriteJ~~hltioti:tQP~.a.P. '.' '. '~;des" ::'rgp,~gQp.atthi$.on~postofficeili 'as- " ~fln;:' because if passed; it would tea , badp~edent:' '. . . ...... ..;'.""," I..... .,"ItiS.;b!ghly,unlil{elyfor'~e,toc . 'leg~ i<1:'iisl-a~on,tp'getdeliverYin,Chai)hass ". ..' he ,,' sa}d."Thenothercongress.peopleWduld ask 'Why can't I'get thiS for somewhere in Arkansas?"', ' . . Kline added to~4ange the' delivery sys- te:ti1.llationwi9.e:W~~d comeatanenO'r~ i. mo~~st;,so~etl;t~g;he said wouldn'tbe 1 PQssib~~"",,<,:,~,,",":"',<,,_,:::-'::;.'i';;_<"',: ,'.,..-::,,:,:' .., i, . ., Justfu~iller;;:~,~ststantcity manager. said it's not neeessarily a done deal. . "We have to talk'withthe.chamber, and see if they:want door to door [delivery] or fully investigate the clUSter box option." he said. ' . Theletter said if . pusinesses opted to in~t~chtster bO~e.Sl\~itl1e.rJh~city of ChatihasseRor busine$s ownerswouldbave to:pay fot the1l1.a,ttd ipjdoing s9~W9Ulijfor- feittheirfree.p~stofficebQx." ..' .' '. .' , BOththeelWnberan,(l'~hannasseaCity C()11p.cU1l1;ad,e, tlie,.ppspu d,~livery issu~ a . priority' for 200.5: Liri<Ia;Waitonii'exeCutive director ()ftheCl1ap1~r,,~~db,()~(:tmem~ bers/are'11leeting.Morifulyito'discus~' the nextstep,Millersai<t the. City Cotulcil will . . beuPWited,on thelssue durmgitsnext'work session sc4ed.uled Sept..26; " " David Jansen can be reached at djansen@Swpub;com.